1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of hand tools, and specifically relates to a hand tool for stapling a sheet material to an underlying form, and then trimming the sheet material to the size and shape of the form.
2. The Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,601, Jasmer shows and describes a combination staple gun and cutter for use in the installation of air-conditioning ductwork. Junctions of ductwork must be wrapped with tape which is stapled in position before being covered by a mastic coating. The fabric used to wrap the joints is a woven fiberglass that is supplied on spools. After stapling the fabric tape to a seam, the installer must cut the tape from the spool. Jasmer bolts a cutting edge to a stapler with the cutting edge extending along the side of the stapler, so that without releasing his grip on the stapler, the user can bring the cutting edge into contact with the tape and can cut the tape by pulling it against the cutting edge, all without pulling loose the newly-installed staples. While admirable for its purpose, the device has the disadvantage that the cutting blade cannot be retracted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,820, Kwong Li Lou describes a stapler that has been modified to feed reinforcing tape to one or both sides of the material being stapled, prior to stapling. A laterally-extending knife is pivotally attached to the front end of the actuator. After the staple has been driven, the knife blade is rotated into a vertical and lateral plane so that it cuts the tape when the actuating lever is depressed. This arrangement is particularly handy for cutting a tape that runs lengthwise within the stapler, but would not be convenient for trimming sheets of material that have been stapled to a frame.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,867, Tsao describes a multi-functional stationery tool similar to a popular multi-use pocket knife. The tool includes a retractable blade and a retractable stapler. Both of these are located at the same end of the tool.
Utility knives have been combined with other tools as shown in the following patents: with a staple remover in U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,758 issued Jun. 14, 1977 to O'Connor; with a rotatable screen forming wheel in U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,821 issued Mar. 27, 1990 to Kieferle; with a tape measure in U.S. Pat. No. DES 372,183 issued Jul. 30, 1996 to Bourque; and, with a rasping blade in U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,908 issued May 28, 1996 to Steinman et al. None of these devices can perform satisfactorily the functions of the present invention.